31 New Holiday-Party Hair Ideas

Soirée season can cause anxiety, but it can also inspire adventurous hair. We asked top hair experts to give tips on how to get the year's most party-perfect red-carpet and runway hairstyles. Bring it on, social calendar.

Separate your hair into three-inch sections and use a large round brush to give yourself a smooth blowout that's slightly curled at the ends. "Create a deep side part, throw all your hair to one side, and let it evolve throughout the night," says hairstylist Matt Fugate of Sally Hershberger Downtown in New York City. Add a silicone-based shine serum (like Sally Hershberger Star Shine) to the ends. "Mist from far away so it just barely lands on your hair and makes it sparkle," says Fugate.

Apply mousse to wet hair, blow it completely dry, then set with medium-size hot rollers, starting at your ends and working up toward your scalp. When the rollers cool, take them out and add a deep side part. "Use your finger or the tip of a wide-tooth comb to separate the curls so they're not piecey, but don't look too done," says hairstylist Tommy Buckett of the Marie Robinson salon in New York City. Finish with a light finishing spray, like Oribe Hair Care Superfine Hair Spray.

"Day-old hair is best to start with when you want soft, cascading waves," says hairstylist Adir Abergel, who created this Veronica Lake–esque look for Banks. Spray two-inch sections of hair with a light-hold hair spray (Abergel likes Fekkai Sheer Hold Hairspray), wrap each section around a one-and-a-quarter-inch curling iron, and pin each rolled section into place. Once the entire head is set, let the sections cool before removing the pins, then use a nylon-and-boar-bristle brush (like a Mason Pearson or a Sonia Kashuk Hair Brush) to brush it into place, letting it fall into perfectly cascading waves. "Make sure one side is totally clean so it has a more modern vibe," says Abergel. Finish with a shine spray, like Sebastian Professional Trilliant.

"This is a great do for short hair," says Fugate of Munn's look. Create a smooth blowout with a paddle brush (a round brush will give it too much volume) and run a flatiron over your hair to make it look sleek. (Use a heat protectant, such as Garnier Fructis Style Sleek & Shine Flat Iron Perfector Straightening Mist, first.) Once hair is straight, part it on the side, tuck the front sections behind your ears, secure with bobby pins, and let the hair on top hang over it.

To get Stone's sexy retro look, "Create a deep side part, apply mousse, and blow-dry hair with a small round brush," says Mara Roszak, Stone's hairstylist. "Then pin-curl small sections and set the entire head with volumizing hair spray." Let it cool for five minutes, brush out curls with a soft boar-bristle brush (like a Mason Pearson or a Sonia Kashuk Hair Brush), then gently mold hair to form a classic soft wave. Finish with a shot of hair spray, such as Bumble and Bumble Spray de Mode.

Build up texture by prepping hair with a salt spray, suggests hairstylist Rod Ortega, who created this look for Lively. (We like Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray.) Maintain body by diffusing hair (he likes the T3 Featherweight Professional Hair Dryer), and use your fingers to rake it to one side, then create a ponytail by fastening both the top and the bottom with elastic bands. Pull out the top section and create a fishtail braid. Add a festive clip to the base of the ponytail. (Lively wore a vintage Chanel brooch here.) "The finished look should look effortless, casual, and not too done," says Ortega.

For Nikki Reed, hairstylist Kristin Ess premade a fishtail braid from a hair extension and pinned it in from ear to ear to make it look like a headband. "This allows you to do a blowout or a chignon and then pop it in as an option, but there's no commitment," says Ess. To finish the look, wrap two-inch sections of hair around a one-inch-barrel curling iron, gather and twist it into a low chignon, and separate the front pieces so they frame your face.

Mist a light hold volumizing hair spray (like Phyto Phytovolume Actif Volumizer Spray) on dry hair, part on the side, and use a large-barrel curling iron to create piecey waves. Start a French braid at the part and stop just above the opposite ear, secure it with an elastic, then pin into place and tuck it under the rest of your hair.

Back-comb the front section of your hair to create height at the crown, then flip hair over and make a tight high ponytail. Work styling oil into the ponytail (Fugate likes Moroccanoil) and create a fishtail braid. The oil will keep it shiny and make it easy to maneuver tiny sections for the fishtail braid.

To make a chunky three-strand braid look as fat as possible, Fugate suggests pushing the bottom elastic up toward the top of the braid. "This diffuses the end and opens up the rest of the braid," he says.

Loosely curl your entire head with a large-barrel curling iron. Create a low side ponytail, then braid half of it and wrap it around your crown so it looks like a headband. Pin it into place, and twist the other half of the ponytail into a bun. Finish with a light hair spray, such as Aveda Air Control Hair Spray.

"This seems like it would be difficult because it looks so cool, but it's just two French braids pulled straight back into a twisted bun," says Fugate. Start with a light pomade or wax, such as Garnier Fructis Style Pure Clean Finishing Paste—anything that's too sticky like a gel or hair spray will be harder to style.

Buckett says to spray hair with a volumizing root lifter, like Phyto Phytovolume Actif, flip your hair upside down and blow-dry completely. Set with large Velcro rollers and heat them up with a blow-dryer so hair is full and bouncy (but not curly). Back-comb the roots and brush your whole head out with a soft-bristle brush, like a Mason Pearson. Grab the two sections nearest to the outside corners of your eyes (this opens up the front of your face) and pin them back with crisscrossed bobby pins or a jeweled clip.

Roughly blow-dry hair with hands, then create waves with a one-and-a-half-inch curling iron from your ears down, leaving the last two inches of your hair uncurled. Back-comb the hair at the crown, then smooth and pull back loosely, using the top of your ears as your guide. Let the face-framing pieces hang loose. "Pull out pieces around the front hairline as desired to create softness," says Maciques.

"This is a modern take on a classic '40s look," says Oribe Hair Care stylist Kien Hoang. To start, create a deep side part aligned with the highest eyebrow arch to create balance. Apply a serum to the ends and blow-dry hair with a paddle brush. Spray individual sections of hair with Oribe Soft Lacquer Heat Styling Spray, and wrap them around a one-inch-barrel curling iron in a spiral pattern, wrapping all curls in the same direction. Gently pick out the curls with the tip of a wide-tooth comb. Add styling wax to smooth out the curls and create defined waves (try Oribe Hair Care Rough Luxury Molding Wax). Pin hair on the nonparted side with a favorite brooch or barrette.

To create this pulled-back "schoolgirl-inspired look," hairstylist Orlando Pita used only hair spray and a blow-dryer—but in real life it's easier (and quicker) to use a barrette. Blow-dry your hair first, then go over it with a flatiron to make it pin-straight. Using the end of a rattail comb (we like Ace Curling & Teasing Comb), section off a piece from temple to temple, starting at your hairline. Mist the section with a lightweight hair spray, such as Tresemmé Tres Two Spray, and secure with a neutral-colored barrette right at the top of your head.

This half-up style is sexy, soft, and much easier than it looks. Hairstylist Oribe, who created the look at Armani, began by making a center part, using Oribe Soft Lacquer Heat Styling Spray for a glossy topcoat, and going over the entire head with a large-barrel curling iron. At the roots, he misted a bit of his Dry Texturizing Spray for lift. Then he took one-and-a-half-inch sections of hair from either side of the head, overlapping them at the back of the head and pinning them in place. He gathered the rest of the hair in his hands and wrapped a small black rubber band right above the ends, creating a loop on the bottom by pulling the tail halfway through. A few face-framing pieces were left loose for a carefree touch.

Hairstylist Guido wound hair into large pin curls for soft volume. After releasing them, he teased the roots at the crown "for a feminine feeling," he said. He pulled back a section above each ear, crisscrossed the two, and fastened them behind the head with pins.

Hoang's tips for getting this sexy side-swept ponytail: Apply a light styling cream to wet hair before blowing it completely dry. Roll the ends under with a medium-size round brush, and create a deep side part. Using a one-and-a-half-barrel curling iron, set hair on the top with pins, let them cool, and brush out with a soft-bristle brush. Using the brush and your hands, also mist with Oribe Hair Care Royal Blowout Heat Styling Spray to shape the S wave in the front. Secure a low ponytail on one side with an elastic or a silk ribbon. Finish with a light spray, like Oribe Imperméable Anti-Humidity Spray.

Back-comb a little to get some height at the crown. Create a mid-height ponytail with smooth sides and a two-inch part in just the front. Pull the front two sections so they frame the face, and finish with a light spray, such as Aveda Air Control Hair Spray.

Start with a salt spray on damp hair, says Roszak. (Try Oribe Après Beach Spray.) Tease the crown slightly, and pull hair back into a mid-height pony. Use an elastic band to secure the ponytail and wrap hair around the elastic to conceal it. Take a one-inch-barrel curling iron and gather random sections of hair, waving the hair around the barrel gently, then break up the pony with fingers for a naturally piecey look. Spray all over with a light spray, such as Leonor Greyl Voluform Hairspray.

Blow-dry hair completely with a light styling cream, and flatiron the ends of the hair. "Then run a pomade or gel into your palms and smooth out the middle to create a side part," says Buckett. Pull it to one side, create a sleek ponytail, and wrap a section of hair around the elastic. Finish with a light shine spray, like Oribe Soft Lacquer.

Tease hair from the front of the hairline to the crown, using the outer corners of each eye as a guide for the width. Finger-brush hair into a ponytail, then smooth the teased section into it and secure with an elastic. Wrap a small section of hair around the ponytail to cover the band, and pin it into place. As a final step, curl random sections of the ponytail so it doesn't fall into a big clump but instead has more separation, says Maciques.

Apply gel to damp hair and gently sculpt into an S shape. Let the hair dry completely. Comb it out to loosen it up, gather it to one side, and tuck it under to create a low bun. Spray all over with a light hair spray to keep the wave around the face, says Roszak.

"Topknots look more current with a little texture," says Ess. Build it up with a spray, like Oribe Texture Spray, then flip your head over and wrap hair with a thick ponytail holder around the base. Tease and back-comb the ponytail in sections, then roll and wrap each section, pinning it into the base to form the topknot.

Tips for getting this look from Mark Townsend of Sally Hershberger Los Angeles and New York: Loosely gather your hair at the nape of your neck, braid it, and then loop the braid back up and pin it at the nape in a messy chignon. Allow some face-framing layers to fall out for a soft, romantic feel. Use Sally Hershberger Star Shine Spray to give your hair incredible shine before finishing with Dove Extra Hold Hairspray all over to keep your hair in place all night.

Maciques suggests blow-drying hair smooth and then adding texture by wrapping two-inch sections around a large-barrel curling iron. Gather a section of hair just behind one ear, place it into a loose ponytail, and wrap it into a soft bun, pinning it into place. Take the remaining front portion of hair and gently brush into the existing bun, pinning pieces into place. Finish with a firm hair spray, like L'Oréal Paris Elnett Satin Hairspray. Twist and turn the loose strands and tuck them into place.

Part hair to one side, and secure a loose ponytail on the opposite side. Back-comb it a little, braid the ends, then roll and pin them up into a chignon below the ear. If some hair falls out on the opposite side, leave it hanging. "It's kind of boyish, with long pieces that go over the forehead in front," says hairstylist Sam McKnight, who created the style.